© 1995 Meredith Sprunger
© 1995 The Christian Fellowship of Students of The Urantia Book
The most pervasive and undisputed observation of our times is that we are living in one of the major transition periods of history. Astute philosophers of history like Oswald Spengler, Albert Schweitzer, Pitirim A. Sorokin, and Arnold Toynbee observe that we are witnessing the decline of Western Civilization. They also observe that all culture cycles are empowered by a great spiritual vision and when that spiritual view of reality loses its relevancy and centrality, the culture declines and disintegrates. All agree that only a new vision of spiritual reality can renew and revitalize our civilization.
Loren B. Mead, an Episcopal priest who is founder and president of The Alban Institute, says in The Once and Future Church, “We are at the front edge of the greatest transformation of the church that has occurred for 1,600 years. …it may eventually make the Reformation look like a ripple in the pond.” (p. 68). It is commonplace for writers to refer to our times as the postmodern and post-Christian era. The hunger for spiritual truth has increased but the old Christian paradigm has outlived its relevancy and ability to communicate and inspire. Its sectarian theology about Jesus is losing its appeal for thinking people to the universal gospel of Jesus, a theology that highlights the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of humanity and transcends dogmatic theology and sectarian institutionalism.
Our world desperately needs a new vision of spiritual reality that is based on the foundations of contemporary knowledge and a universe view that is meaningful to people today. The Urantia Book, which purports to be a new epochal revelation, has the potential, in my judgment, to serve as the spiritual foundation of a new cultural cycle, and the spiritual dynamic for the transformation of the Christian Church from a sectarian institution into a universal fellowship. It obviously takes time to test and acclimate to a new and inspiring spiritual paradigm. The history of scientific and cultural revolutions demonstrate that many people never make the transition. It may take generations. But for those who are hungering for a new and larger conceptualization of spiritual reality, The Urantia Book can be a liberating and inspiring experience!